gratitude

Living your life through Gratitude, is not one of comparing how you are better than someone else; or Gratitude only for what you own or obtain or achieve. Living your life through Gratitude, is seeing that the world would be missing something very valuable if you were not in it.

It is as if every cell of the body is in complete harmony and each cell seems to be emanating gratitude, although it is just the naturally functioning senses and nothing more.

This is very difficult to describe to others because the mind immediately turns it into something else. It simply means seeing, feeling, tasting, touching, hearing everything as it is in this moment without the veil of the mind creating something over the top. Simple. This is all that is left when the mindbody package is gone.

There are no internal arisings, no knower, no being, and no experience, no-one left. The mind without a feeling centre is left powerless so remains quiet although still there, separate and unable to touch this. A whole new dimension, although everything appears the same.

Eating with the fullest pleasure –pleasure, that is, that does not depend on ignorance –is perhaps the profoundest enactment of our connection with the world. In this pleasure we experience and celebrate our dependence and gratitude, for we are living from mystery, from creatures we did not make and powers we cannot comprehend.

Here's a practice for dealing with envy...each time you find yourself envious of someone...ask yourself, "What is there that I am noticing in the other person that I want to find in myself?"...If it's money, is it the freedom? The cance to play that money buys? A sense of security? Whatever it is--more play, a sense of security, free time--you can work on getting more of it in your life, no matter what the circumstances.

M J Ryan

Source: Attitudes of Gratitude: How to Give and Receive Joy Everyday of Your Life, Pages: 118

"Like so many of us, I spent a great deal of my life....cataloging all the ways I had been injured and abused...I analyzed and categorized the whos, whats and wheres of my misery. I was a confirmed pessimist, always able to see the dark side of anything and everything. My belief was that life was hard and disaster was looming around every corner...Despite life's difficulties, it was my responsibility to do all the good I could and become the best person I could be...I started to notice the dearth of positive emotions in my life...I knew precious little about joy, happiness, optimism, faith and trust....That's when I learned that you don't have to be saddled for life with mental attitudes you adopted in childhood. All of us are free to change our minds, and as we change our minds, our experiences will also change."

M J Ryan

Source: Attitudes of Gratitude: How to Give and Receive Joy Everyday of Your Life, Pages: 3...5